Dawn is breaking and the sky is a blanket of glowering gray.
Yesterday a Roadway truck pulled up and dropped off boxes of my Between the Lines books. Writer’s Digest Books isn’t going to publish the hardcover version that they sold through the book club any more (the softcover version is still in print). I bought copies before it is remaindered. I stacked them in my storeroom and noted I could no longer wiggle into the area where my various boxes of Christmas decorations are stored. I have been planning on whipping this room into shape for more than a year now. I’ve been wanting to buy a bike, but there is no place to stash one….and now there is even less room.
So I was out walking after dinner and thinking about things. As usual I was looking at the sky and flowers and noticing that the patch of park I was walking through was showing at least 40 shades of green. In fact, this spring seems particularly vibrant this year. I was also scouting the neighborhood for lilacs because I’m known to abscond with a bloom or two. (In the name of full disclosure, I usually steal from a house down the block that’s been empty ever since I moved into the neighborhood.)
And I decided to start giving away more books. I’ve given books away before but I’m going to get more organized about it. On Tuesday I shipped some books to Hedgebrook, a writer’s colony for women on Whidbey Island, Washington (www.hedgebrook.org) because an author I know, Megan Clark had just stayed there and mentioned their library didn’t have many books on craft. I also just gave some books to my neighbor who is a substitute writing teacher in high schools because every time I go out of town I call and let them know I won’t be around.
So for people reading this, email me at jessicapage at spiritone.com and the first three people will receive a hardbound copy of Between the Lines. Please include your snail mail and I’ll mention your names in my next blog post.
Since I live alone and work at home I’m a radio person (I like background noise while I write except for when I’m editing something difficult) and I especially like to listen to NPR if I’m home on weekends because their programming is so varied on those days. A show called Car Talk is hosted by two often-cackling Bostonians and they dispense advice about car ailments. It’s much more amusing than it sounds in case you’ve never heard it. They have a segment of the show that they call the “Shameless Commerce Division” when they’re selling something via their website.
That said, I sort of hate the many blogs that are just about selling the writer’s books or products. I’m not against making money, but sometimes blogs are as
Bold as used car salesmen wearing plaid. (Do used car salesmen still wear plaid? My car is a few years old.) And I despair that instead of just writing my books and such that I’m going to start spending my days in gaudy self-promotion cranking out endless blog entries to somehow display parts of myself I’d rather not display.
So I’m going to be a hypocrite and instill a brief Shameless Commerce Division message here to mention that I’m teaching workshops in Manzanita, Oregon on June 20 & 21and my friend Marian Pierce is also joining me to teach a workshop. Marian is a short story writer (although she’s also working on a novel) who has been published in a number of impressive venues and teaches at Marylhurst University and on-line for UCLA Extension Writer’s Program.
I teach a lot of workshops and this is first time I’ve mentioned one in this blog because I think this is going to be special. First, my program is called Summer in Words and I’m planning on it becoming an annual event. Second, Manzanita is a charming coastal town—a place I retreat to as often as possible to get my groove back. Third, the workshops are going to be both practical and inspiring and are divided into four sessions. The first one is Inspiration: Tapping into the inner writer and big awe. The second workshop on Friday afternoon is Expression: Word painting and Voice. On Saturday morning Marian is going teach Refinement: Characters and the last session will be me teaching Refinement: Think like an editor. Also on Friday night there will be an open mike for writers, Out Loud from 7-10. Finally, on Saturday night, not connected to Summer in Words, novelist Jennie Shortridge will lead off a new speaker’s series in Manzanita.
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